Austin and Kat has expanded its functional mushroom collection with three whole-mushroom powders and two concentrated liquid extracts for dogs.
The company was founded in 2014 by Kat Donatello, who began making hemp chews for her own dogs. Austin and Kat now formulates, sources and produces its products, including CBD and CBDa chews, omega supplements and its mushroom line, at its Seattle, Washington, facility, which is certified by the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC).
“Mushrooms are where my obsession with sourcing really shows up,” said Donatello, founder and CEO. “The species matters, the parts of the mushroom matters, and how it is grown and extracted matters even more. We were not willing to put our name on a mushroom product until we could stand behind every step of it. Now we can, and I am proud of what we built.”
The mushroom products are made with organic, whole-mushroom ingredients sourced from M2 Ingredients, a Vista, California-based company that cultivates and processes functional mushrooms domestically. According to Austin and Kat, M2 is North America's largest grower of functional mushrooms and uses full-spectrum ingredients that include the entire mushroom rather than isolated fractions.
The expanded line includes two formats. The powder lineup features single-species Turkey Tail and Lion's Mane powders, along with 7 Mighty Mushrooms, a seven-mushroom blend meal topper. The company said the powders are dried to preserve naturally occurring beta-glucans and are formulated to support immune balance, digestive wellness and vitality.
The liquid lineup includes Lion's Mane Extract, formulated to support cognitive function and nerve signaling, and 6 Mighty Mushrooms, a six-species blend for immune and digestive support.
The products are available to retailers through austinandkatwholesale.com and through distribution partners including Pet Food Experts, Southeast Pet, Independent Pet Supply, IPS South and Sunburst Pet Supply.
“Interest in functional mushrooms is growing fast, and ingredient quality varies more than most shoppers realize,” said Lilly Miller, director of education at Austin and Kat. “What I love about this line is that it gives retailers something honest to talk about: whole mushrooms backed by a growing body of research, made by the same people who answer the phone.”
